Buying firewood, coal and gas for winter in Afghanistan: units, prices and what to check

Photo: Abdul qayoum · CC BY 3.0

How each fuel is sold

Reports from Kabul in late 2025 use these units:

• Firewood: by the cart, or by the kharwar. Amu TV gave the kharwar as about 560 kg, while Hasht-e Subh gave it as 300 kg. The two sources do not agree, so always ask the seller how many kilos he means.
• Coal: by the sack, the seer (7 kg, according to Amu TV) or the tonne.
• Gas: by the kilo.

What it cost in autumn 2025

These are prices people and sellers gave to reporters in Kabul in October to December 2025. Prices in your town, and this winter, will differ. Check them against the food and fuel prices page, and see the piece on food and fuel prices for how those figures are read.

| Fuel | Price reported | Date and source | |---|---|---| | Firewood, a cart | 12,000 afghanis (a resident); 12,500 for a cart from Khost and Paktia; 7,500 to 8,000 for mulberry or walnut wood (a seller) | October 2025, IANS citing TOLOnews | | Firewood, a kharwar (300 kg) | 10,000 afghanis (a resident) | 10 November 2025, Hasht-e Subh | | Firewood, a kharwar (about 560 kg) | 10,500 to 11,000 afghanis | 18 November 2025, Amu TV | | Firewood, a kharwar (about 560 kg) | nearly 12,000 afghanis | 28 November 2025, Amu TV | | Coal, a sack | 1,700 to 1,800 afghanis (a resident) | October 2025, IANS citing TOLOnews | | Coal, a seer (7 kg) | up to 100 afghanis | 18 November 2025, Amu TV | | Coal, a tonne | 11,300 rising to 12,000 afghanis in a week (Kabul Association of Firewood and Coal Sellers) | 7 December 2025, ANI | | Gas, a kilo | up to 70 afghanis | 18 November 2025, Amu TV |

Amu TV's residents said these prices were two to three times higher than in previous winters. Sellers named transport costs, taxes and fuel prices, and a wood seller blamed limits on timber imports. We do not judge those claims here. The point for a buyer is that prices moved from week to week.

Compare by the kilo

Divide the price by the weight. With the figures above:

• Firewood at 10,500 to 11,000 afghanis for about 560 kg is roughly 19 to 20 afghanis a kilo. At 10,000 afghanis for 300 kg it is about 33 a kilo.
• Coal at 100 afghanis a seer (7 kg) is about 14 afghanis a kilo. At 12,000 afghanis a tonne it is 12 afghanis a kilo.
• Northern Coal Company said it would sell coal at 6,800 afghanis a tonne in 22 districts, which is under 7 afghanis a kilo. ANI reported that it planned to distribute 130,000 tonnes this winter in the colder regions, including Kabul.

The weight of a cart or a sack was not given in any report we found, so ask and, where you can, have it weighed on a scale you can see.

What to check before you pay

1. Ask the unit and the weight, and write the price per kilo next to the offer of each seller.
2. Feel and look at the wood. The US EPA says well-seasoned wood is darker, weighs less and sounds hollow when two pieces are knocked together. Wet wood burns badly, and you pay for water by the kilo.
3. Ask when the wood was cut. The EPA advises letting wood dry for at least six months before burning, and aiming for under 20 per cent moisture.
4. Never burn rubbish. The EPA lists plastic, foam, painted or treated wood, plywood and rubber as things never to burn. In November 2025 residents told Hasht-e Subh that families were burning plastic and old household things because wood and coal cost too much, and one said this worsened the air and breathing illness.
5. Agree the price and the delivery first, and pay when the load is at your door and weighed, not before.

Do not pay a deposit to someone you do not know, or send money to a number that only appears in a message or an online advertisement. If a price is far below every other seller's, ask why.

Storing it

• Wood: the EPA advises stacking it outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered, because covered sides trap moisture.
• Gas: each time a cylinder is connected or changed, brush soapy water (washing-up liquid and water) on the joints. Bubbles mean gas is escaping. Energy Safe Victoria says to switch the gas off at once. South Australia's government says to tighten the joint and test again, and if bubbles still appear, to shut off the gas and have a licensed gas fitter repair or replace the part.

Burning it safely

Every fuel here makes carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see or smell. Read staying warm safely this winter: keep a window open a little, never sleep beside a burning stove or under a sandali with coals, and if someone feels ill, get them to fresh air and call 102. The emergency numbers are listed on one page.

Photo: Todd Huffman from Phoenix, AZ · CC BY 2.0